Lincoln Kienholz is an American college football quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals. He previously played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
| No. 3 – Louisville Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | T. F. Riggs (Pierre, South Dakota) |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at ESPN | |
High school career
editKienholz attended T. F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota. He played football, basketball and baseball in high school.[1][2] As a senior in football, he passed for 3,422 yards with 46 touchdowns and rushed for 1,435 yards and 24 touchdowns. Kienholz finished his career with the most passing yards in South Dakota history.[3] He was named USA Today's National Athlete of the Year in 2023.[4] He was selected to play in the 2023 All-American Bowl.[5] He originally committed to play college football at the University of Washington before flipping his commitment to Ohio State University.[6][7]
College career
editKienholz entered 2023 as the third-string quarterback behind Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. He earned his first playing time against Michigan State, completing two of three passes for 18 yards.[8]
After McCord entered the transfer portal and Brown was injured in the first half of the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic, Kienholz was the next man up. Kienholz and the Buckeyes would struggle to get any offense going, losing 14-3. Kienholz completed six of 18 passes and threw for 86 yards.
On January 1, 2026, Keinholz entered the transfer portal. Two days later, Keinholz committed to the Louisville Cardinals.[9]
College statistics
edit| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2023 | Ohio State | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 22 | 45.5 | 111 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 87.8 | 6 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 7 | 0 | — | 11 | 14 | 78.6 | 139 | 9.9 | 1 | 0 | 185.5 | 11 | 66 | 6.0 | 2 |
| Career | 12 | 0 | 0–0 | 21 | 36 | 58.3 | 250 | 6.9 | 1 | 0 | 87.8 | 17 | 68 | 4.0 | 2 | |
References
edit- ↑ "Full Court Press: Pierre's talented Lincoln Kienholz receives three sports worth of D-I attention". Mitchell Republic. February 28, 2022.
- ↑ "South Dakota Full Court Press: Pierre's Lincoln Kienholz savors basketball season ahead of football future". Mitchell Republic. February 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Pierre quarterback Lincoln Kienholz breaks South Dakota all-time passing record". Argus Leader.
- ↑ "Joyce Edwards, Lincoln Kienholz headline USA TODAY High School Sports Awards winners". USA Today.
- ↑ "Pierre standout quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to play in All-American Bowl". Argus Leader.
- ↑ Caple, Christian. "Washington lands its QB in 2023 class, 3-star Lincoln Kienholz commits". The Athletic.
- ↑ "'It's a pretty good process to trust': Why 2023 QB Lincoln Kienholz chose Ohio State football". The Columbus Dispatch.
- ↑ "'I just thought he belonged': Moment not too big for Lincoln Kienholz in first Ohio State action". On3. November 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Louisville lands commitment of former Ohio State QB Lincoln Kienholz". 247Sports. Retrieved January 4, 2026.